News and blog

Update for Saturday November 12th

We are all gearing up for Thanksgiving.  And thanfully, the selection of food available at the market is excellent.  There are still many locally grown items, as well as some carefully selected "imports."  I was able to connect with all the farmers today, and here is a summary of the items available this week.

Kistaco Farm 

Kistaco will have 12 varieties of apples this week including:  

Gala
Jonathan
Rome
Red Delicious
Golden Delicious
Idared
Mutsu
Fuji
Jonagold
Stayman Winesap
Empire
Northern Spy

In addition, Pittsburgh's best cider from Kistaco Farm will also be available in 1/2 and full gallons.

Also, Apple Butter will be available.  In the vegetable department, check out the fresh Kale. 

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Zang's Greenhouse

Rick from Zang's Greenhouse will have a wide variety of local vegetables, including potatoes, beets, leeks, onions and shallots.  

Rick will also have local lettuce, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, cabbage and carrots.  In the fruit department- bosch pears.

Zang's will also have artichokes from California, Cranberries from Wisconsin, and Chestnits from Italy. 

In the flower department- cycleman flowers.

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Greenawalt Farm

Brian Greenawalt will come through again with strawberries, yes locally grown strawberries.  Hard to believe this time of year.  I bought a quart last week and they were excellent.  The only problem is that they don't last very long around the house.

Other locally grown items include cauliflower (white and orange), buttercup lettuce, white potatoes, sweet potatoes and brussel sprouts.  Lots of squash is available-  varieties include- Blue Hubbard, Kabocha (Green and Orange), Delicata, Spaghetti, Butternut, Butter Cup and Acorn.  Kohlarabi, and cabbage are available. 

In the fruit department, a few varieties of apples and pears.

I am pretty sure Greenawalt will have some quince available- last of the season.

Finally, Brian will have a small amount of fresh horseradish.

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PA Made Cheese

There are a few items to note this week.  

I have been "over-ordering" lately so we have lots of Pennsylvania cheese at the market.

o Fresh curds- from Arsenal Cheese in Lawrenceville

o Blue Cheese from Common Folk Organics- amazing stuff from Lancaser County, PA

o Small wheels of Camembert from  Stone Madow Farm, Centre County, PA

We still have some Membrillo (quince paste) and will give away 1oz pieces with a purchase of cheese.

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Kew Park Coffee Bar

We will have hot coffee availale as always.  In the juice department we will have fresh squeezed tangerine, orange and grapefruit juice.  

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Dried Organic Fruit

Last fall, we started carrying dried organically grown fruit from Van Dyke farm in Gilroy California.  We carried it throut the winter, until fresh local fruit was available.  But we have had a lot of requests for it, so we reordered a new batch from Van Dyke.  This is another family run operation.  I have been working with Peter Van Dyke.

The fruit is certified organic. Its hand grown, picked and processed- then dried under the California sun.  The flavor is incredible.  Blenheim apricots are their signature item, but we also have nectatarines, pears and parsimons. Dried fruit sure beats candy for a snack and kids love them.

Check out the Van Dyne website for more information.

http://www.vandykeorganics.com/

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Recipe of the week

The Post-Gazette had a great spread on thanksgiving resipes.  

In particular they have recipes from 9 of our great loal chefs.

Check it out:

http://www.post-gazette.com/food/

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Please visit the market on Saturday!

David Lagnese

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Please visit the market's website for information on the market and all the vendors.  You can sign up for a weekly email update.
 

http://www.farmersmarketcooperativeofeastliberty.com/

*********************************************************

The Farmers' Market Cooperative of East Liberty is located at 344 North Sheridan Ave., adjacent to the Home Depot parking lot.  The market operates year round- and is open from 5 AM until 12 noon every Saturday of the year.

Update for Saturday, November 5th

Hello Friends and neighbors,

I was traveling on business this week so I did not have an opportunity to speak with the farmers.  So I don't have a specific update, but I expect that the items available will be similar to last week, so I have included the information from my last week update below.  I was impressed that last week we had a really strong turnout even though the weather was nasty.  It was snowing or raining the whole time but it did not seem to dampen people's enthusiasm.

Kew Park Coffee Update

I needed to travel to Washington, DC this week on business for my day job.  As luck would have it, Peter Williams and his wife Gina, the owners of Kew Park Coffee Estatate, live part of the year in Washington.  They shuttle back and forth between the farm in Jamaica and Washington where their 2 children go to school.  In any case, we were able to get together and catch up on things.  

They updated me on the status of the 2011 coffee crop.  I am happy to report that the crop is ripening very well. The harvest is just about to begin.  They worked really hard this year to fertilize the coffee plants with chicken manure.  Peter said that the results were very good.  The crop is large and of very high quality.  So I am very excited to get some of the new crop into the market in the near future.

I also got an update on the status of shipping green (unroasted) beans into the market.  Up until now, we heve been receiving small shipments (20 to 30 pounds) of beans that are roasted on the farm in Jamaica, and shipped directly to Pittsburgh for sale at the market.  But we have been working on getting licensed to ship much larger shipments of green (unroasted) beans to Pittsburgh, and then roasting them locally.  We have been working on getting through all the regulatory red tape for over one year!  But finally, we have a 60 kilo shipment of beans that have arrived here in Pittsburgh.  As soon as they get through US Customs and FDA approvals, we will be able to get them into our hands.  I will keep you posted.

Pittsburgh East Rotary Club Pancake Breakfast

The 15th Annual Pittsburgh East Rotary Club (PERC) Pancake Breakfast & Auction will be held this Saturday from 8:00 a.m. ~ 12:00 noon, at Eastminster Presbyterian Church (across from the Market and The Home Depot parking lot).

This is a really fun event.  The food is excellent, and proceeds benefit charities.  Last year we donated a basket of Farmers' Market goodies for the auction, and we will be doing that again this year.

So please plan to participate in this event either before or after stopping by the Farmers' Market.

If you are interested in learning more about PERC, check out their website.  We certainly feel an affinity for this organization since they were founded in the same era as our market.  The Farmers' Market Coop of East Liberty started operations on July 6, 1941, and PERC was founded in 1945.  Check them out at:

http://www.pittsburgheastrotary.org/

So please support the farmers by stopping by the market and also support PERC by going to the Pancake Breakfast.

David Lagnese

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Update for Saturday October 29th

We had a great market last saturday with tons of locally grown fruit and vegetables. I heard from the farmers this week and here is a summary of the items available this week.

Kistaco Farm 

Kistaco will have 12 varieties of apples this week including:  McIntosh, Cortland, Jonathan, Jonagold, Golden Delicious, Red Delicious, Empire, Gala, Macoun, Northern Spy.  

And of course Kistaco cider is a must for the Haloween weekend.

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Zang's Greenhouse

I spoke with Rick Zang from Zang's Greenhouse.   Rick will have a wide variety of local vegetables, including potatoes, beets, beans, greens, leeks, peppers, onions and shallots.  

Rick will also have local lettuce, diakon radishes, and red fingerling potatoes.  Cranberries from Wisconsin are in.

Fresh Romanesco will be available.  What's Romansco?  Not being sure myself, I looked it up and here is what I found:

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/10/seriously-italian-broccoli-romanesco-recipes.html

Looks like a cross between broccoli and cauliflower.

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Greenawalt Farm

Brian Greenawalt will come through again with strawberries, yes locally grown strawberries.  You will need to get there early for these, as they went quickly last week.

Other locally grown items include cauliflower, tomatoes, buttercup lettuce, sweet potatoes and brussel sprouts.  Lots of squash is available-  varieties include- Blue Hubbard, Kabocha (Green and Orange), Delicata, Spaghetti, Butternut, Butter Cup and Acorn.

*********************************************************
PA Made Cheese

There is an ever expanding selection of Pennsylvania made cheeses available at the PA Made Cheese stand.  A fresh shipment of goat cheeses from Riverview Dairy arrived this week.  The Blue Cheese from Common Folk Organics is back.

We are also continuing to give away free membrillo samples (quince paste) with any cheese purchase. And speaking of quince.....

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SAVE THE QUINCE UPDATE

We have had fresh quince available at the market for the past 6 weeks or so. My call to action to use quince has really worked.  The quince available at the market has sold out quickly each week.  I got a call today from a woman in Wheeling WV who plans to drive up to visit the market this Saturday to see if she can get some quince.  I told her I could not guarantee that quince will be available, but she plans to come anyways.  Wow, what a reaction!

Update on Legume Bistro...

Trevett Hooper, owner and chef at Legume Bistro picked up some of quince and made duck liver and quince mousse.  I stopped by to taste it and it was fabulous.  

If you have not had a chance to visit Legume Bistro at their new location, you need to put it on your "must do" list.  Legume is now located on Craig Street at the former More Restaurant location.  They renovated the whole place.  The dining room is spacious and comfortable.  No longer a BYOB, they have a wonderful bar area with lots of retro features.  The kitchen is well equipped and spotlessly clean.  Of course the food is consistent with the old legume- simple but delicious.  They source most of their ingredients locally, so their menu features seasonal items.  Check out their site and make a reservation as soon as possible!

http://legumebistro.com/

And thanks to Trevett for supporting the market.

Kew Park Coffee Bar

A fresh shipment of beans from Jamaica arrived this week.  At the juice bar, we will have fresh made cranberry juice.

***********************************************************************

Fruits and vegetables are also available at the Kennedy Farm stand.

Lots of fall and Haloween items are available all over the market.  We have pumpkins, gourds, indian corn, and corn stocks. 

*********************************************************

Update for Saturday October 29th

We had a great market last saturday with tons of locally grown fruit and vegetables. I heard from the farmers this week and here is a summary of the items available this week.

Kistaco Farm 

Kistaco will have 12 varieties of apples this week including:  McIntosh, Cortland, Jonathan, Jonagold, Golden Delicious, Red Delicious, Empire, Gala, Macoun, Northern Spy.  

And of course Kistaco cider is a must for the Haloween weekend.

***********************************************************************************************

Zang's Greenhouse

I spoke with Rick Zang from Zang's Greenhouse.   Rick will have a wide variety of local vegetables, including potatoes, beets, beans, greens, leeks, peppers, onions and shallots.  

Rick will also have local lettuce, diakon radishes, and red fingerling potatoes.  Cranberries from Wisconsin are in.

Fresh Romanesco will be available.  What's Romansco?  Not being sure myself, I looked it up and here is what I found:

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/10/seriously-italian-broccoli-romanesco-recipes.html

Looks like a cross between broccoli and cauliflower.

***********************************************************************************************
Greenawalt Farm

Brian Greenawalt will come through again with strawberries, yes locally grown strawberries.  You will need to get there early for these, as they went quickly last week.

Other locally grown items include cauliflower, tomatoes, buttercup lettuce, sweet potatoes and brussel sprouts.  Lots of squash is available-  varieties include- Blue Hubbard, Kabocha (Green and Orange), Delicata, Spaghetti, Butternut, Butter Cup and Acorn.

*********************************************************
PA Made Cheese

There is an ever expanding selection of Pennsylvania made cheeses available at the PA Made Cheese stand.  A fresh shipment of goat cheeses from Riverview Dairy arrived this week.  The Blue Cheese from Common Folk Organics is back.

We are also continuing to give away free membrillo samples (quince paste) with any cheese purchase. And speaking of quince.....

*********************************************************************************

SAVE THE QUINCE UPDATE

We have had fresh quince available at the market for the past 6 weeks or so. My call to action to use quince has really worked.  The quince available at the market has sold out quickly each week.  I got a call today from a woman in Wheeling WV who plans to drive up to visit the market this Saturday to see if she can get some quince.  I told her I could not guarantee that quince will be available, but she plans to come anyways.  Wow, what a reaction!

Update on Legume Bistro...

Trevett Hooper, owner and chef at Legume Bistro picked up some of quince and made duck liver and quince mousse.  I stopped by to taste it and it was fabulous.  

If you have not had a chance to visit Legume Bistro at their new location, you need to put it on your "must do" list.  Legume is now located on Craig Street at the former More Restaurant location.  They renovated the whole place.  The dining room is spacious and comfortable.  No longer a BYOB, they have a wonderful bar area with lots of retro features.  The kitchen is well equipped and spotlessly clean.  Of course the food is consistent with the old legume- simple but delicious.  They source most of their ingredients locally, so their menu features seasonal items.  Check out their site and make a reservation as soon as possible!

http://legumebistro.com/

And thanks to Trevett for supporting the market.

Kew Park Coffee Bar

A fresh shipment of beans from Jamaica arrived this week.  At the juice bar, we will have fresh made cranberry juice.

***********************************************************************

Fruits and vegetables are also available at the Kennedy Farm stand.

Lots of fall and Haloween items are available all over the market.  We have pumpkins, gourds, indian corn, and corn stocks. 

*********************************************************

Recipe of the week

Miriam Rubin has another of her periodic articles in the PG today, so check it out if you missed it:

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11300/1185043-34-0.stm?cmpid=newspanel1

Also, Miriam was nice enough to share a great recipe that uses lots of fall goodies.  I have not tried it yet, but any recipe that uses beet greens has got to be good!  Thanks Miriam!

Beet and Beet Greens Borsht

This is a perfect seasonal soup for cooler weather, adapted from my first book, "Grains." Cook and dice the beets a day ahead, if you like. Remember to keep the greens, as they go into the soup as well.

1 large bunch beets with greens (about 3 beets, the bunch should weigh about 1 1/4 pounds)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)

2 large stalks celery, diced (about 1 cup)

1 large carrot, diced (about 1/2 cup)

3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar

1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

2 cups coarsely shredded green cabbage (1/4-inch shreds)

2 medium tart green apples, diced (about 2 cups)

6 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth

Kosher salt, to taste

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Sour cream and snipped fresh dill

1. Trim stems of beets to 1 inch and scrub the beets. Trim the stems from the leaves and cut leaves into 1/2-inch ribbons.  Place beet roots in a large saucepan and add cold water to cover. Cover and heat to boiling over high heat.  Reduce the heat to medium and simmer about 40 minutes, or until fork-tender. Drain the beets in a colander; rinse briefly under cold running water. Cool to warm, slip off the skins and cut into 1/2-inch chunks.

2. In a Dutch oven, warm oil over medium heat.  Add the onion, celery, and carrot and sauté for 6 to 8 minutes, or until tender.  Stir in the brown sugar, ginger, thyme, pepper, and allspice and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.  Stir in cabbage, apples, and beet greens, reduce the heat to low, cover and cook, stirring several times, for 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are wilted.

3. Add chicken stock and cooked beets; heat to boiling. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the flavors are blended and heated through. Remove from the heat and stir in the vinegar.  Top servings with sour cream and snipped dill.

Makes about 6 servings

Miriam Rubin is a freelance food writer and a columnist for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, where she writes "Miriam's Garden" and other food features. She is now at work on a book about southern ways of preparing tomatoes for the University of North Carolina Press.

****************************************************

Please visit the market on Saturday!

David Lagnese

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Please visit the market's website for information on the market and all the vendors.  You can sign up for a weekly email update.
 

http://www.farmersmarketcooperativeofeastliberty.com/

*********************************************************

The Farmers' Market Cooperative of East Liberty is located at 344 North Sheridan Ave., adjacent to the Home Depot parking lot.  The market operates year round- and is open from 5 AM until 12 noon every Saturday of the year.

I usually only send out one or two messages a week on the farmers market.  But I am sending out this message about an interesting upcoming event that I want share with all of you.

Food writer Mark Bittman is coming to Pittsburgh and giving a talk as part of the LITERARY EVENINGS Monday Night Lecture Series. Mark is a well know author on food and also reports on food for the New York Times.

The lecture is Monday, Nov. 7^th at 7:30pm at the Carnegie Music Hall.  There are still general admission tickets and some limited reserved seats available.

To get tickets, call the Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures office at 412-622-8866, or buy online at www.pittsburghlectures.org

Ticket prices are $35 for Orchestra seats; $25 for First Floor and First Balcony seats and $15 for General Admission. Students can come for $10 with student ID.

Update for Saturday October 22nd

I have been traveling on business this week and did not get a chance to speak with the farmers.  But I would expect a very similar selection of items as we had last week.  So I have included last weeks update message below for more information.  A few things to note.....

With Haloween coming up next weekend, the market has many items such as pumpkins, gourds, indian corn, and corn stocks.  They are available at all of the farm stands.

Also, the New York Times ran a nice article this week on California Olive Oil.  It discusses some of the reasons why CA olive oil is starting to challenge the European oils.  Check out the article to learn more.

Those of you who frequent the market know that the Californian Olive Oil Connection carries several varieties of California olive oil.  All of them fresh (pressed within the last year) and are certified Extra Virgin by the California Olive Oil Council.  All the oils can be tasted before buying them.   For those of you trying to eat things grown "locally", CA olive oil is the way to go.

Olive oil goes so well with the locally grown vegetables available at the market.  A very simple dish to make at this time of year is roasted butternut squash.  To make the dish, simply peel a butternut squash and cut it up into bite size pieces.  Put the pieces in a bowl and cover liberally with olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper.  Place them on a baking pan in one layer, and bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.  Give it a try.

See you at the market.

David Lagnese

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Update for Saturday October 15th

We had a great market last saturday with tons of locally grown fruit and vegetables.  I expect more of the same this Saturday.  The update is kind of long this week because there is so much going on.  But please read through it.

Kudo's to the PG Food Writers

I have always thought we have a great group of food writers at the Post-Gazette.  Thats why I often include links to articles and recipes that appear in the Thursday Food & Flavor section.  They do such a great job covering the farmers market scene, new restaurants and all things related to food.  Well they were recently recognized by winning an award from the Association of Food Journalists.  They won first place for Best Newspaper Food Coverage.  Check out the article:

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11286/1181470-34.stm

So congratulations to Bob Batz, Miriam Rubin, Grethcen McKay and the whole gang at the PG!

SAVE THE QUINCE UPDATE

We still had some quince available at the market last week, but I am not sure about this Saturday.  With the bushel that I purchased, I gave half of it to Kevin Sousa at Salt of the Earth restaurant.  I am not sure what he did with it, but am sure he will put it to good use.  A trip to Salt for dinner or snack is always worth the trip-  so stop by and see what Kevin did with his quince.  

I used mine to make a big batch of Membrillo (quince paste).  It turned out well.  It has a deep red color and a sweet and tart taste.  I want to share it with folks, so we decided to give away a 1 oz. piece with each half pound purchase of any goat cheese product from Riverview Dairy.  Quince goes really well with goat cheese.  So please stop by the PA Made Cheese stand.

Speaking of PA Made Cheese, we also have some new cheeses from God's Country Creamery in Potter County.  We got a new wheel of Havarti, but also a wheel of Gruyere.  It looks just beautiful.  We will be giving out free samples on Saturday.  So dust off the fondue pot and get ready to make some fondue.  Here is a fondue recipe from the God's Country website.  http://godscountrycreamery.com/family-fun-page/recipes-and-serving-ideas

Kew Park Coffee Bar

Of course we will have hot Kew Park Coffee and whole beans to go.  At the juice bar, we will have fresh made Concord grape juice, made from Erie County grapes.  This will be the last week for Concord grapes.

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I spoke with Zang's,  Kistaco and Greenawalt farms to get an update.   Here are a few highlights….

Greenawalt Farm

Brian Greenawalt spends time on Thursday and Friday driving around Somerset County visiting various farms to get items for the market.  Many of them are Amish farmers.  This week he pulled in brussel sprouts, zucchini, and peppers.  Fruit wise he will have apples and pears.   The big news for this week is that Brian will have several flats of fresh strawberries.  These are locally grown, not imported from California. 

Lots of fall squash as well, varieties include- Blue Hubbard, Kabocha (Green and Orange), Delicata, Spaghetti, Butternut, Butter Cup and Acorn.

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Kistaco Farm

Kistaco will have a wide variety of apples, with a few new varieties this week. Varieties available this week include: 

McIntosh, Cortland, Jonathan, Jonagold, Golden Delicious, Red Delicious, Empire, Gala, Macoun, Northern Spy

And don’t forget the cider.  It seems to get better each week.  Kistaco will also have Peppers, eggplant, and maybe some greens if it doesn't rain all day Friday.

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Zang's Greenhouse

I spoke with Rick Zang from Zang's Greenhouse.   Rick will have a wide variety of local vegetables, including potatoes, beets, beans, greens, leeks, poblano peppers, onions and shallots.  Concord grapes from Erie County will be available, but Rick said this will probably be the last week.  Fresh cut gladiola flowers will be available.

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Fruits and vegetables are also available at the Kennedy Farm stand.

Just walking around last week I noticed lots of items such as Pumpkins, Gourds, Indian Corn and other fall items.  They are available at all of the farm stands. 

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Grandma Rubin’s Kosher Dills

If there’s no dill in your garden, substitute a tablespoon of dill seed.

• 2 1/2 to 3 pounds small pickling cucumbers, well scrubbed
• 8 cups water
• ½ cup cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons pickling spice (Grandma always removed the excess allspice and cloves)
• 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
• 6 to 8 cloves garlic, peeled, brown ends trimmed
• 2 small fresh or dried chiles, plus more for jars
• 6 to 8 heads dill

Place cucumbers in large bowl. Cover with ice water and refrigerate 1 hour until icy-cold and crisp. Drain.

In 2-quart measuring cup, measure water. Add vinegar, salt, pickling spice and peppercorns. Stir to dissolve salt.

Put cucumbers in pickling crock or deep glass or ceramic bowl. Add garlic and 2 chiles. Pour in brine and stir to mix. Place dill on top, pressing into brine.

Place a clean, unchipped small plate on top.  Press down gently to submerge cucumbers. Cover with a clean towel. Let stand at cool room temperature 2 days for new dills, 3 to 4 days for old dills.

Pack pickles into 4 or 5 clean pint jars. Add a garlic clove from brine and a chile to each. Ladle brine into jars, covering pickles. Discard dill and remaining brine. Cover jars and refrigerate. Pickles are ready now but will keep 2 to 3 months. Brine may become cloudy; that’s okay.

Makes 4 or 5 pints

*****************************************************
Please visit the market on Saturday!

David Lagnese

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Please visit the market's website for information on the market and all the vendors.  You can sign up for a weekly email update.
 

http://www.farmersmarketcooperativeofeastliberty.com/

**********************************************************

The Farmers' Market Cooperative of East Liberty is located at 344 North Sheridan Ave., adjacent to the Home Depot parking lot.  The market operates year round- and is open from 5 AM until 12 noon every Saturday of the year.